


Resistance

by IllusionaryEnnui



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-24
Updated: 2011-06-24
Packaged: 2017-10-20 16:54:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/214956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IllusionaryEnnui/pseuds/IllusionaryEnnui
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Too long alone, too long in denial - it is too much to bear. When the truth reigns, will we be able to face it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Resistance

**Resistance**

Too long alone, too long in denial - it is too much to bear. When the truth reigns, will we be able to face it? Sebastian x F!Hawke.

  


* * *

_This fan fiction might contain spoilers, canon and also non-canon endeavours and history. In response to a prompt..._

* * *

Author: Illusionary Ennui

Disclaimer: If it's not in the Dragon Age games, codex entries, or the wiki, it's mine. All else, hail to Bioware.

Chapter Word Count: 5,435 (so far)

Chapter Rating: M/E

Chapter Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, NSFW.

Beta: Lywinis

Edited: 07.23.2011 - Minor editing...

* * *

**Resistance**

_Denied and broken_

_Little have we left to share_

_Only we remain_

A burden, an oppressive mass that weighed the mage down as her slow steps carried them through Hightown. That was how Sebastian Vael, heir of Starkhaven, felt while he leaned upon Maria Hawke, shuffling towards the Chantry. She wobbled beneath his bulk, she but a small woman by comparison, and guilt prodded at him. Nevertheless, he required her help for his wounds, a raking score shredding his mail during their battle with the high dragon plaguing the Bone Pit. Other than the abomination, as Fenris would name the warden apostate, only Maria's skills held any hope for the royal archer. Even with the prospect of her help, he found himself averse to accepting for many reasons, most of which unspoken.

Pain overrode out his thoughts and Sebastian suppressed a complaining whine, the Chantry's steps far too numerous for his tastes in his current condition. Each step jarred him, making the frayed mail dig further into his torn flesh. Maria sensed his plight and slowed their progress to pause every so often to allow him some respite. Both knew healing him as is would only hinder his recovering, the mail determined to rip him to shreds.

By his guidance, mere grunts of directions, Maria hoisted his arm a little more comfortably over her neck and escorted him to his bunk. Sebastian sank onto his cot once inside his empty quarters, heavy with pain and fatigue. An irresistible desire for sleep washed over him, hoping to escape his pain in the nothingness of slumber. For the sake of his well-being, however, Maria's soft voice called to him, driving away the oblivion.

At her insistence, Sebastian gave her liberty to do as she willed, forgoing pride in favour of the circumstances. Cautious fingers worked the buckles of his armour, the leather parting under her gentle prying. Maria deprived him of his jerkin's warmth, the sharp metal of its ragged links scratching at his wound. His wincing and stifled groan elicited a worried cry from the healer's lips, a kind hand ghosting over the slashed skin. Her touch feathered across the raking claw marks that stretched from his shoulder to his hip, the deepest at the bottom of his ribs and down the side of his abdomen. At once, the pain receded into a dull throb, the glow of her magic mingling with the flickering candlelight. The warm palm against his chest shifted down his torso by minute degrees, her fingers lingering as she flooded him with the pleasantly cool caress of healing. When her magic knitted the cracked rib, unseen beneath the split flesh, he bit back a strangled sob, all the pain from its mending crashing down on him in a single rush instead of over time. Her soothing words as well as her reassuring magic, cool against his heated skin, chased away its memory.

Then, Sebastian's heart beat faster as she leaned closer to inspect her work, her dark chocolate tresses spilling over his stomach. Like an untried maiden, his blood rushed to his cheeks when her fingers trailed near the waistband of his leather trews, intent on addressing the remnants of the wounds that continued beneath the ripped hide. However, Maria sensed his tension and her head whipped up to examine the cause. To their misfortune, the rogue shot up at that exact moment only to have her lips brush against his with the unintended force of his reaction. In shock, the petite mage pulled away, a vibrant blush spread across her freckled features, but her hands remained flush to his skin.

Admiring her kindness, her shyness, Sebastian studied her in awe at how she cast her eyes away from him even while she touched him with such familiarity. Shaking his head, he recalled how their companions told him that he must be blind, so buried in his faith to see a woman pining for him not in lust, but in genuine affection. Inclined to agree, the prince knew he could not be entirely blameless in the matter, his own feelings questionable during their acquaintance. Ever since that fateful day when they first met, the murderers of his family dead by her will, his mind danced a fine line between tempting fascination and stalwart confusion. Sebastian, over the six years in her company, often found himself praying more and more in repentance for lust, for anger, for his failures. He even prayed for her welfare - for forgiveness in their endeavours, for the choices she made for the betterment of all. Although he often disagreed with her errant courses, she never once kowtowed to demons, dabbled in blood magic, nor sought to cheat or harm an innocent. Maria gave only of herself, asking nothing in return. Naught but a mere tool to be used, even for the wrong reasons - she only wanted the best for each person whose life she touched and desired only their happiness with little care for her own.

A naïve lass she may have been, but Sebastian still chided himself for his adoration and the growing enamour. Possessed by the realization, he revelled in the closeness, her breasts heaving beneath her blood-splattered mantle with her unsteady panting. Soothing her, he slid a hand along her arm from its contact with his body. Her skin pebbled beneath his palm even under the heavy fabric as it wandered up to her shoulder. Dark amber eyes snapped to meet his gaze in bewilderment, freezing when he cupped her ruddy cheek. The rogue watched her swallow hard with apprehension, his broad thumb tracing the slight curve of her jaw. Maria flinched, her breathing quickening as the wide span of his hand curved around her neck. In his wake, his fingers then brushed the edge of her ear to earn a shiver from the mage. His daring drew her nearer and sent a frisson down her spine. Sebastian smirked, licking his lips with a distinct reflection of action.

Her gasp made no sound, Sebastian slanting his mouth over hers in surprise. Maria responded with hesitation at first, perplexed and unaccustomed to such intimacy. As she began to yield, by chance or understanding he would never know, the archer tried to press her further, snaking an arm around her waist and bowing her back to bring them closer, wanting more. His stomach coiled with the heat of provocation, delighting in the fit of her lips against his. In that simple kiss, he discovered a sense of calm, of wholeness, only to lose it.

To his dismay, Maria pushed him away in an abrupt panic, throwing herself across the room. The uncertainty in her eyes wounded his pride and his heart.

"Ria, I -"

"I'm so, so sorry, Sebastian," she said, choking on the words. "Maker forgive me, but I can't... not like this."

One step back. Then two. He watched her flee from him, from the Chantry, leaving the lesser damage of his lacerations unhealed.

All at once, repressed emotions, buried deep by the demands of his faith and for sanity's sake, overtook him. The wanton need, the desire. He lamented for the loss of her warmth, her comforting caress - Andraste help him, he could not live without it, now recognising the peace within her embrace. Overwhelmed by need and the mere memory of her taste, sweet like a crisp apple, Sebastian pleaded forgiveness as a wayward hand worked the laces of his trews.

Groaning with a grave sigh, he sought completion to alleviate his frustration, the shadow of her touch vivid in his mind. Spent, his shoulders slumped with self-loathing as he washed himself with the tepid water from his washbasin. Even in this, Sebastian berated himself for imagining her hands in the washcloth's place. He then returned to his cot and stripped off his tattered garments before stretching out on the thin pallet, his hands behind his head. Steadying his breathing, he stared at the high ceiling. As he let his mind wander, the royal archer breathed in the scents of incense and tallow, only to discern mint and lavender among them.

The prince, shaking his head, knew for certain he would find no rest that night.

* * *

A week passed in anonymity, Maria not once visiting her bereft companion - had he frightened her away from his company?

Alone, his wounds healed, a slow and agonizing process, as Sebastian wasted away every night spent in contemplation. His body begged for that extraordinary touch in her absence, leaving him aching and wilful. The prince battled with his conscience over the options ahead of him. Unable to weather the storm of his mind, he garnered his strength for the choice he dare not refuse. Yet as his hand hovered on his door, he paused and laughed: in the past, he wore the title of "rake" with pride, caring little for the women who shared his bed or the hollow bliss he took for granted. For one strange woman's sake, he deigned to trade every encounter for her forgiveness and pleasure.

Smirking, the rogue stole through the moonlit streets of Hightown, the silver orb hanging below the city's horizon. As he walked, Sebastian squared his shoulders and kept his strides sure and purposeful. Up ahead stood his goal, candlelight gleaming from a single window. The former Amell estate. On the doorstep, the prince sucked in a deep breath, the air whistling through his teeth, before knocking, offering up a muted entreaty for courage and good will. Tonight marked the change of everything, he mused in silent gratification. Tonight, he sought solace and meaning to define an uncertain future in her hands all because he failed to envision another night without an answer for his zealous longing.

* * *

"Ah, Your Highness," Bodahn Feddic, Maria's manservant, said as he rubbed the sleep from his bleary and tired eyes. Standing in the doorway, the dwarven manservant barred the prince's entry, ever a dutiful servant and guardian of the house. "Messere Hawke has taken to her chambers presently. Pray tell, what has you up and about at this hour?"

"I have urgent business with your mistress," Sebastian replied, his tone flat.

"Can it not wait until the morn, Your Highness? Messere Hawke sleeps little as is."

From beyond, the men heard a woman's voice ringing concern, their heads turning towards the lady of house, her finery loose on her form and her hair tousled, as she descended the last stair. At her heels growled her Mabari, Thane, the hound just as perturbed by their guest. In a familiar fashion, they watched her shuffled across the main hall to determine the cause of that racket that woke her from her nap. Dark eyes widened when their blurry gaze fell upon Sebastian, cloaked and without his armour. Recalling their previous encounter, Maria's face burned with a mad blush.

"Sebastian?" she queried, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

"May we speak in private, dear lady?" he answered, bowing his head in a polite gesture.

"Now, see here -"

"It's all right, Bodahn," Maria reassured the dwarf. "You may take your leave - 'tis late and you need your rest."

The manservant eyed Sebastian with a wary glance, a subtle reminder of his displeasure, prior to acquiescing to his mistress. Now alone, Maria marvelled at the archer's presence, her confusion only increasing. She continued to stare at him until he withdrew his cloak's hood from his head, revealing a man held together by sheer willpower. Sighing, she frowned at dark circles beneath his eyes, prizes from a lack of sleep. Yet, the brilliant blue orbs gleamed with an unknown secret. Tanned skin appeared ashen in the dim glow of the torches, but his face betrayed nothing save a weary soul.

Despite the parting of last meeting, Maria gestured for him to follow without explanation. Sebastian spoke naught as she led him through the estate. Up the staircase and into her bedchambers, she waited for him to speak his mind. It did them no good to stand in silence, the tension a veritable barrier between them.

Her own thoughts crushed her with her folly to fill the space of the stillness: did she regret her actions that night? Oh yes, she did - his kiss, so desperate, lit an unquenchable fire within her. However, for all her life, she could not bring herself to give in, only resisting, all for the sake of his vows. Besides, she reflected with a solemn air, he deserved more than her accidental teasing and maiden charms, so much more than the reality of her pitiful existence.

As she shifted to close the door, Maria sensed the archer behind her stepped closer. The mage gasped when his hands slammed the heavy door shut, pinning between himself and the wood within the confines of his reach. At once, she turned to face him, finding him divested of his cloak and without his armour, clad in only a soft linen shirt and doeskin trews. Shaking her head, she made to seek answers for his strange behaviour. Never had she seen such a vivid glimmer of determination in the rogue's blue depths. She wondered what could possibly be going through his mind, his breaths uneven and short.

"Seb -"

"You are unlike any woman I have ever known."

Stunned, her bafflement precluded the hot mouth slanting over hers in frantic kiss brimming with the release of his hunger. His tongue darted out to taste the salty flesh of her throat as he trailed kisses down her jaw. Tracing her pulse, licking a leisurely line down the column of her neck, his growl vibrated against her skin. The prince of Starkhaven ran a heavy hand down her ribs, squeezing her hip before slipping the span beneath her finery, relishing in her sharp gasp when he caressed a trembling thigh. Sebastian's smirk broadened with every hitched intake of air. He coaxed her as he sought the exposed spots of her body that he could touch, each one causing her to arch into him in stimulating delight. His fingers tugged at one edge of her finery, exposing the freckled chest and shoulder, the scar of her past glinting in the firelight. Nipping along the ridge of her clavicle, his impassioned words were mumbled into her flesh, suggestive pleas for her consent, begging to stay.

"Sebastian, you're not thinking clearly." She struggled for speech, panting with the effort. Biting her tongue, she attempted to rebuff the feelings swirling around her head, the need, the lust, only to begin losing sight of her endeavour. "Would you break your vows for one night of meaningless pleasure? And for a mage, no less?"

"My mind could never be clearer and this is far from meaningless, Maria." he said, haughty in his retort. "Not unless you don't want this, that you care nothing for me. Because right now, you're only making excuses. Granted, time and time again, you ignore my advice, but were we not the better for it? Thanks to you, I've regained more than I lost but also achieved the prospect of something greater. As for the fact that you are a mage, what of it? I care not. We are all children of the Maker and deserve the freedom to walk by His side or throw ourselves to the Void - magic is a gift, and though many abuse it, you do not. Yet, would you deny me this?"

"I would chance the Void for you," she breathed, fighting to steady her nerves. "But what of your vows? You cannot tell me that they no longer matter, even if you've finally decided to take your life in your own hands. You'll just thrown away everything, and for what?"

"I cast aside my vows long ago when my family was murdered. It's taken me six years to realize the futility of my arrogance and I'll not remain a fool, one ignorant of another's suffering. Our families lost, your brother beyond your reach - let me fill the emptiness in your heart for I know you share my loneliness. We've nothing left to bind us to our pasts. Now, let me ask you again: will you still deny me as I once denied you?"

It could be wrong, but it could be right - she should have fought, should have argued. Yet, her words failed her and she submitted to the sensation of the lips and hands roaming her body, submitted to the prince's will. Possessed of her assent, Sebastian grinned in a prideful dance, jerking her away from the door to envelope the mage in his arms. No longer resisting, she stifled a chuckle as the royal archer tore at her finery to reveal more of her flesh so that he could leave more bruising kisses, marking her with every bite. Melding their mouths once more, his tongue delved past her parted lips to dance among the warmth, meeting her fervour. A strong hand gripped her tight to pull her towards the grand bed, both kicking off their boots with little care for their awkward stumbling. After pressing a brief kiss to the mage's cheek, Sebastian seated himself on the mattress's edge as he motioned for her to address his sweat-stained shirt. Her fingers brushed along the hot flesh as she yanked the garment of his head, tossing it into the corner with little care. Cheeks burning crimson, she squealed when he grabbed her hips, pulling her closer. His lips pressed heated kisses to her chest as he stripped her of the rest of her finery.

Leaning back, taking in the woman's naked form, he frowned at the ugly scar marring from throat to thigh. Tentative fingers traced the hated scar and his kissed the silvery line, whispering "never again" into her skin. Ignoring those unwelcome flaws, Sebastian admired the plain beauty before him, a mad grin splitting his features as he tore away her breast-band. Her soft cry of indignation went unheeded when wandering hands swept up her ribs to cup the swell of her bosoms. His calloused fingers teased the heaving mounds with playful pinches and kneading. The rogue bent to lick a heavy breast, his teeth scraping over the sensitive peaks. Blowing air over the pink tips, he rewarded himself with her delighted shiver, sharing his attention with devoted worship.

Corded arms then snaked around her waist and Sebastian stood to lift her off her feet. Dangling above the stone tiles, Maria had little time to ponder his actions before the prince tossed her onto the bed. Crawling atop of her, the royal archer bore down on her smaller frame, covering her body with his lean form. Sebastian then whispered into her ear, his scorching lips brushing the curved shell as he professed his yearning for her. Grinding his hips to hers, he enforced his claim with the feel of his arousal hidden behind the smooth hide of his trews. Radiating confidence strained the timbre of his lust-roughened voice as he assured the mage that he meant to claim what they both desired. Every action that followed only increased the haze of astonishing stimulation, a mutual high.

He burned, fuelled by passion, light and heat.

Sebastian led her into the fray, licking another line along the racing pulse rushing beneath the flushed skin of her throat. His languid kisses trailed down her sternum to her stomach, his wide palms drifting down her shapely thighs. Shifting his train of thought, Sebastian glided down her body, rolling his hips against hers once in passing to remind her of his intent. A strong hand then encircled her ankle, the rogue pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her foot. Following the contour of her form, he graced lazy kisses up along the calf and to her knee, presenting the quivering joint with its own delicate kiss. On her other leg, strong fingers massaged the warm flesh, mirroring his progress on its mate. Sebastian smirked against her skin as he later kissed up the mage's inner thigh to meet his hands at the apex of her legs.

Disregarding her shriek of protest, long, square-tipped fingers slipped between the quaking legs to tease her heated sex. Maria gasped in shock, her hands seeking to dissuade him, grabbing at his hair. His thumb circled the nub that would begin to enthral her broken soul, delighting himself in her quickening breaths and muffled moans. One finger chanced a daring thrust into her core and she gritted her teeth against the sounds bubbling in her throat. She whimpered as his head dipped lower, yanking the auburn strands from her loosening grasp. Throwing a leg over his shoulder with smug casualness, he offered her no warning before his tongue speared her folds, drawing out an astonished cry from the dazed mage. The tip swirled in mischievous gestures until he placed an open-mouthed kiss to her swollen pearl, suckling to tear a pleased sob from the woman he sought to undo. His middle and forefingers replaced the taunting mouth once more, the lengths curling within against the little bundle of nerves to make her shudder with every point of pressure. Her hand flew to her mouth to bite her knuckle, stifling another loud groan of pleasure, the other hand fisting into the coverlet. Sebastian smiled at his labours as he unravelled the mage and brought her towards her peak, relishing in the tightness of her, unspoiled after so many years.

His own arousal neglected, the exiled prince withdrew. Leaving her teetering on the knife's edge of culmination, Sebastian shifted back up his lover's tremulous form. His wandering hands mapped the contours as he returned to face her, burning them into his memory. There, he captured her mouth in a hard kiss, letting her taste herself on his lips. All the while, his head spun with the irresistible prospect of taking the woman quaking beneath him, having dreamt of this day for so long that he once believed it to be only a dream. Yet, there he lay in her bed, poised and willing. Sebastian's heart pounded with a self-righteous pride unbecoming of a chaste brother in the Chantry, but not alien to the true prince of his royal blood and rakish past.

Maria's own mind reeled in increasing heady sensation threatening to overcome her. The want to reciprocate his attention pierced the haze of her bliss. Hooking a leg around the royal archer's own long limb, she pushed on his chest, hoping to convey her desire. Obliging in understanding, Sebastian rolled them over in a single, smooth motion, her legs now straddling his waist. From her new overlooking position, her mind raced with a vast flood of licentious ideas. Breaking for a moment of deliberation, she combed through every book she ever read, every provocative tale told by her more _learned_ companions. Setting her sights, Maria dragged her blunt nails down the rippling muscles of Sebastian's sun-browned chest, her petal soft lips leaving feather-light caresses across his torso to his stomach. The prince felt her vibrant blush from the heat of her cheeks, her unsteady pants ghosting over the taut muscles of his abdomen. Blue eyes screwed shut as her questing fingers grazed the unhealed wounds lashed into his side and hip. Maria frowned at the remnants of her negligence and healed them with barest whisper of her magic, cursing the stubbornness of her flight that fateful day. As though he read her regretful thoughts, Sebastian reached out to stroke her cheek in forgiveness and then he left her to her exploration. His respite, however, was short-lived as the wayward mage caught her fingers on the waistband of his trews, stopping while she contemplated the wild thought dictating her actions. A flutter of panic leapt into her chest, her inexperience warning her against such a course. Yet, the Maker help her, she owed him something more for his patience and welcome affection.

"Ria, you don't -"

"I want to," she said, her tone firm as she tugged at the leather lacing.

Sucking in a deep breath, Sebastian gave her liberty even as he watched her shake with apprehension. On cue, he lifted his hips for her and allowed her to toss away both the hide trousers and his smallclothes over the side of the lavish bed. Sinking among the pillows, he chuckled at her maiden blush at the sight of his naked form, splayed out before her without a hint of shame, and could not help but stare in awe. Not one night since their first meeting had her imagination graced her with a fine specimen, the Maker's artistry chiselled into flesh.

"Ria, you really -"

Her unheralded grasp silence him, her petite fingers curling around the hardened length. Sebastian bit back a groan, hissing before choking on a bated breath as her thumb circled the glistening head. The royal archer copied her leering stare, his eyes widening when she leaned down to kiss the tip, her wicked tongue flickering out to taste him. He stiffened in her hold, her lips tracing a line down his shaft. Meanwhile, her small hands bestowed his throbbing member with indolent, teasing strokes along with tortuous pressing. A hardy moan escaped his lips when her mouth descended upon him. Lavishing him by gentle sweeps of her tongue as she tested the waters of his control and her own boldness.

Growling with frustration, unable to weather her ministrations any further nor willing to waste his release, he wrenched himself from her gratifying grasp. Though he lamented in that loss of her warmth, Sebastian gripped her waist and turned to pin her back down on the yielding mattress. He once more asserted his dominance with a soulful breath. The deprived prince then grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his waist, his eagerness pressing into her. Assuring him of her approval, her arms folded around his neck and her thighs squeeze him tighter. A restless mouth rose to devour his, provoking him.

Her desire matched his need as Sebastian drowned her in an impassioned kiss and commanded her to never let go, the words tingling against her lips. Nostrils flaring, he readied him for the task at set before him. Taking himself in hand, he ran the tip of his length between her folds to tease her with the brush of his member to her core.

"Sebastian, please!"

Her keening cry warranted a roguish smirk from the hunger-stricken prince. Shifting to fulfill her wilful demand, he guided himself into her heat. Brilliant blue orbs, narrowed in lust and relinquished pleasure, fix on Maria's darkened amber gaze, her own desire smouldering in the limpid pools of light.

Not heeding his impatience for her sake, Sebastian inched into her tight, hot sheath, her nails digging furrows into his back as he hilted himself. Her stuttering moans, feeling herself stretched and overwhelmed, caused him pause. His soothing voice calmed her, coupled with his assuaging kisses aided her as she adjust to him before he retreated. Certain of her acclimation, he surged forward, gripping her hips to bringing her to match his slow, experimenting thrust. By her nod and mewl of pleasure, Sebastian forged into a strong pace, revelling in the encompassing sensation of the friction of her flesh against his with every drive. Just outside the realm of consciousness, he observed her pliant body compressed between his aching frame and the rocking bed below, her sweat-slick hair fanned out on the pillow and the pungent smell of sex and lavender. In that moment, Sebastian felt alive in the sense of her all around him, her soft moans melodious in his ears over the din of the blood rushing in his veins. Her hips met his rolling snaps with timid motions, spurring him deeper as she soon found a rhythm to match him.

Their coupling was unhurried, but Maria felt loved and needed, filled by the man writhing above her. Rising up, she whispered in his ear and put a voice to the once masked longing, telling him how much she wanted this night, the chance to express the affection she had so long desired to share. Encouraged by her confession, Sebastian answered in all honesty that he approved with a sigh of relief. He himself treasured the prospect of being with someone like her, admitting without regret that he must love her for he could unearth no other word to describe the yearning of his heart. Their kisses were soul searing as they both neared completion, spellbound by one another's declaration.

His thrusts became frantic as he built them towards climax, his hand slithered between their sweat-drenched forms. There, deft fingers worked magic not of the Fade to help her reach to precipice with him. Casting her head back and crying out his name, Maria undulated around him as her sex throbbed with the contractions of her release. She arched up from the bed, holding tighter as she rode the waves of her own pleasure when she crashed over the edge. Enveloped in her embrace, Sebastian revelled in a prideful haze before spilling his seed deep within his lover's eager heat after a few exhausted, juddering rolls of his hips. In a single moment, relief blinding him with brilliant stars dancing before his eyes, he gave her all of himself, everything he possessed. Her body continued to writhe about him, milking him in the fading throes of her orgasm as he kissed her.

In an attempt to avoid crushing her beneath his boneless bulk, Sebastian rolled them over once again, his spent member still buried within to let her limp legs fall to either side of him and her exhausted form to rest in his embrace. Entranced by her warmth, he contented himself to not ever leave - here, he was at peace as he let his hand tangle in her hair, unwilling to part.

Dispossessed of the strength to move, his mind chose to wander until sleep drew nearer, an idle thumb stroking up and down his lover's spine as she traced swirling patterns on the expanse of his chest. The mage let her hand fall lower to caress the new scars marking his side as she muttered to herself, wishing she had healed them earlier instead of being so stubborn.

His half-hearted words of forgiveness were lost to his yawn, sleep taking precedence after their arduous efforts. Sebastian's last thought reigned with the knowledge that he would need his rest should he wish to relive the memory so fresh in his mind. However, the rogue's respite resolved into a short nap, barely a blink of eye. Upon waking, he discovered Maria awake and pensive, a faraway look ruling her forlorn expression.

"Ria?"

"What now?" she asked in a sleepy tone, a look of sorrow overtaking her features. "Through my meddling, do you not intend to retake your lands?"

"Aye, I do," he said, kissing her brow when the frown deepened. "Although, I need not return to Starkhaven alone. But let us talk no more of it - there will be time for that when our task here is done. All that matters is that we face the dawn together."

Kissing the flesh above his heart, she envisioned a life with him only let her heart sink into despair - the Chantry would never allow her remain at his side. All the love in the world could not keep the chains at bay seeking to bar her from him. The world still feared her kind, and rightly so. Plagued by her dismay, tears filled her vision and fell down her ruddy cheeks, streaking through the sweat. Witnessing her sorrow, his forefinger's knuckle made to brush away the sadness.

"I know what you're thinking." Placing a soulful kiss to her quivering lips, Sebastian offered her a solemn vow of prosperity. "They will not keep me from you - that much I can promise. I'll find a way, Ria. The Chantry failed me once before, but they will _not_ refuse me this."

His tone rang with vigour and the force of his will, a testament to his birthright. Cradled in his embrace, Maria fought with the odd sense of happiness and belonging, two sensations alien to her, which filled her just as he had. Falling into meditative musing, she marvelled at him as her lover held her tighter, yawning before he drifted back off into satisfied slumber.

Expelling a wistful laugh, Maria snuggled deeper into the comfort of Sebastian's side, leaving her thoughts for another time.

Tomorrow would be a new beginning.

**  
_Fin._   
**

  


* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, that was interesting. Other than apologizing for taking so long to fill this prompt, I simply want to thank my dear Lywinis for continuing to beta and also express my gratitude to the readers and the OP for without you, there is no fic or drive. I hope you enjoyed it.

Any road, here was the prompt: _Lady Hawke has had a crush on Sebastian, but won't go for his whole chaste relationship bullshit. Sebastian realizes he can't stand to be without her, goes to her estate in the middle of the night and begs to eat her out._ _Whether or not she lets him or how much she makes him beg, is up to anon. :D_


End file.
